Friday, April 29, 2011

New Stuff

And some of my favorite things!

Casey pup is now 4 months old and growing well. She adores her sheep and goats threw the fence. They don't have the same feelings for her yet. When I take her in with the sheep she sticks close to me or Simon for protection. I have a few evil sheep who would love to clobber her but everything is coming along well. The sheep are getting use to her and Simon little by little.

Thunderhead Argentina, I call her Jo, has other ideas when it comes to the dogs. She comes straight at Casey to get a good look. If Casey doesn't stand still then the chase is on. Jo just has to get up close and personal and Casey is not sure it's very safe thing to be doing yet.

I don't have much in the way of fancy colorings in my Shetlands yet, so Jo is a favorite. She is a two tone gulmoget, my only gulmoget, that I picked up at Black Sheep Gathering last year. Friend and guild member Heidi bought a "Time Share" with my sheep and choose Jo's fleece as part of her share. Jo produced a great fleece that starts out black at the neck and faded to white at her britch. Heidi was thrilled with her new fleece, some lamb chops from the freezer and several buckets full of compost for her garden! Just part of the benefits of a "Time Share" at Desert Peach Farm!

Another pretty face is WSR Miryha. She came down with Jo from BSG last year. Calm and a born leader Miryha is a tiny well built katmoget.

She is just a little girl but she is built wide and is very correct from one end to the other.

We sheared 20 sheep a few weeks ago and here are two samples of some yearlings fleece. Shirley is on the left, a washed lock and in the center are the unwashed locks. The short locks are from another yearling ewe Kenick. I'm in love with the fleece I got from Shirley! LONG, tippy, shiny and Oh so soft! I do like Kenicks fleece too. It is very soft not as shiny a bit felted at the tip so you lose the tippyness and it did wash up well.

The reason I'm showing the difference in the two fleeces is that when Shirley was born a few people felt it was wrong, or at least undesirable to have all those "Shirley Temple" curls on a new born Shetland. (picture of Shirley below) Seems a tight close crippy fleece is the goal. I love breeding for the 6 inch fleece as opposed to the three inch fleece as long as they are as soft and shiny as Shirley's!

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Desert Peach

About Me

I live out side Reno Nv on 20 acres with my husband 3 dogs 6 cats and my flock of Shetland Sheep. We have a Ma-Pa landscape business I'm the bookkeeper secretary and girl Friday. The best part of the job is that the office is at home. This gives me the opportunity to raise the sheep, farm the land. ;o) and fiber arts but not as much as I'd like.